About Mesa County, CO

GRAND JUNCTION CO HOMES

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A HOME IN OR NEAR GRAND JUNCTION COLORADO?

DO YOU LIKE TO LOOK FOR HOMES ON THE INTERNET FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME?

ARE YOU RELUCTANT TO CALL VARIOUS LISTING AGENTS JUST TO GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OR TO SEE A PROPERTY?

ARE YOU TIRED OF GOING TO WEBSITE AFTER WEBSITE ONLY TO RECEIVE LIMITED INFORMATION ON HOMES FOR SALE?

IF YOU ANSWERED YES TO ANY OR ALL OF THE ABOVE, I HAVE THE PERFECT HOME FINDING TOOL FOR YOU! LET THE HOMEBUYER'S SCOUTING REPORT PROGRAM TAKE THE STRESS OUT OF YOUR ONLINE HOME SHOPPING. YOU NOT ONLY GET INDIRECT ACCESS TO OUR LOCAL MLS, YOU ALSO GET ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:

• Be the 1ST to see all real estate listings from all the real estate companies
• You'll have your own private password protected website that is set up exclusively for you
• Online access from your own home, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• You will see maps, pictures, prices, and addresses, and you will easily be able to obtain more information or schedule a showing of a property with just the click of your mouse!
• Receive quick email alerts each time a property you may be interested in enters the market
• You will have your own notebook page where you can save all of your favorite listings to easily keep track of homes you're interested in

You will no longer have to visit various websites to see all available listings. Sound too good to be true? It's not! The Homebuyer's Scouting Report is your exclusive home shopping website and it's all free to you with no obligation and no commitment. Wanna give it a try? Just click on the image to below to get started:

Shelly Christensen with RE/MAX 4000 Inc. and Brook Seeley with Bank of America have combined forces in a newly formed strategic relationship with a licensed real estate company, Home Buyers Marketing II, Inc. (HBM II). HBM II provides area homebuyers with an innovative and FREE home finding service called the Home Buyers Scouting Report®.

The Home Buyers Scouting Report® (HBSR ®) is a free home finding service provided directly to individual homebuyers by HBM II. ®

A service of Home Buyer's Marketing II, Inc.

In some markets, not all of the listings are available due to local rules & regulations. Address, mapping, and other property information restrictions apply in some markets.

January is National Radon Action Month as initiated by the EPA. Did you know that radon gas is the #2 leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S., second only to cigarette smoking? The good news is that it is preventable by simply testing your home for the presence of radon gas. Because it is invisible, odorless, and tasteless, we don't know when we are being exposed to it and it is usually at its highest levels in the winter due to closed windows and doors.

Attention Mesa County Residents: Radon has been found in Mesa County!

Home radon test kits are available at the Mesa County Health Department for just $5. Contact the Mesa County Health Deparment at 970-683-6647 or visit them online at: www.health.mesacounty.us. Or check with your local health department for similar tests available in your area.

READ A MESA COUNTY NEWS RELEASE ON RADON TEST KITS HERE.

GET IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT RADON GAS AND THE NATIONAL RADON ACTION MONTH BY VISITING THE EPA'S WEBSITE HERE.

ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS, THE U.S. REAL ESTATE MARKET IS ON THE PATH TO RECOVERY. IT IS PREDICTED THAT WE WILL SEE A SLIGHT CLIMB IN VALUES IN THE 1ST QUARTER OF 2010. Here's why:

• Existing home sales rose over 7% between October and November of 2009 which represents the largest number of sales in the past 33 months.
• The sales volume was up 44% higher in November 2009 then it was in November 2008.
• Inventory levels have dropped to nearly 50% of what they were a year ago.

THE PAST FEW MONTHS HAVE PROVED TO BE INDICATIVE OF A MARKET REBOUND BUT THAT IS NOT THE ONLY REASON WHY BUYING NOW INSTEAD OF WAITING COULD ACTUALLY SAVE YOU MONEY. Here's why:

• INTEREST RATES ARE STILL LOW - The Feds will cease buying mortgage backed securities after the 1st qtr of 2010 which will cause rates to climb. Higher interest rates mean larger payments.
• TAX CREDIT IS AVAILABLE TO 1ST TIME HOMEBUYERS AND MOVE UP BUYERS AS WELL - The tax credit will expire at the end of April. What else is there to say about receiving thousands of dollars from the government just for buying a house?
• PRICES ARE GOING UP! Inventories have dropped which means values will begin to go up!

Of course, these statistics may not necessary reflect your local area, but are still a good indication that the market correction is complete. Talk to a local Realtor or mortgage professional for more information and to help you decide if NOW is the right time for YOU! As always, I'm available to help in any way I can. You may also call or email me if you would like to be referred to a professional in your area.

That is right. I said it! I'm optimistic of what this new year is going to bring. I was driving around town this morning and I saw the following quote on a couple of bus benches "Bill Gates started Microsoft during a recession". My Grandma always said "Life is what you make of it". So if we don't stand by idle and let life pass us by and if Bill Gates started one of the most successful companies during a recession, what have we got to lose?

Then I sit down at my computer this morning and there is a graph in a newsletter I get(you can view it Here). Did you know that the Dow Jones Industrial Average started at 8711.98 last year, it did hit a low of 6469.95 in March and continued to grow throughout the rest of the year and it ended at 10580.33. So overall there was an improvement. The following article was in our local paper The Daily Sentinel -Recession over in Colorado, economist tells legislators. Yes, locally our real estate market has taken a hit, but homes are still selling and folks are still buying them (especially below $250,000). People are still getting married, having babies, and downsizing. Life has not come to a halt, we are just more cautious. As we should be. I don't think we will have a quick recovery, but I think there will be a recovery. As our local paper quoted from our Senator in the above article, "There's been a lot of rosy scenarios coming from some in the Capitol, but the reality is we've got some difficult months in front of us". Notice he said months...not years. Our economy is slowly improving, we are slowly getting back on our feet, and step-by-step things are looking better. Wouldn't you agree?

100% FINANCING TO BUY A HOME IN GRAND JUNCTION CO

Homebuyers rejoice! You can still obtain 100% financing to purchase your home and take advantage of the homebuyer tax credit incentive. There are two options for 100% financing availabe to those who qualify:

OPTION 1: USDA (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture) offers two Rural Development loan programs. One is the direct program which is actually funded by the government itself to help families purchase homes in rural areas. The other USDA Rural Development loan program is the guaranteed loan program which is guaranted by the USDA such as the FHA loan is guaranteed by HUD. There are income and property eligibility requirements for each. This is a great loan program for people who are looking to buy a home in Fruita, Loma, Mack, Palisade, Whitewater, and outlying areas such as Delta, Cedaredge, and Montrose. Please call your mortgage professional for more information or click here to visit the USDA's website.

OPTION 2: CHFA (Colorado Housing & Finance Authority) offers 100% financing on home purchases by offering a 2nd mortgage for an amount equal to 3% of the purchase price as a down payment. Buyers are required to contribute $1,000 and attend a Homebuyer Education class to obtain a CHFA loan. CHFA loans typically come at a higher interest rate but offer a great 100% financing option for those who meet the income qualifications. There are no property eligiblity requirements for CHFA which makes it a great option over the Rural Development loan program for those who wish to buy a home in Grand Junction CO. Please talk to your mortgage professional or click here for more information on CHFA loans.

Not all lenders qualilfy to offer to Rural Development and CHFA loan programs.

I can help you find a home that is eligible for 100% financing! Please call me today and get on the road to homeownership!